Front loading washing machines have a door mounted to a front panel of the appliance. The door permits access to the wash chamber of the appliance for loading and removal of articles in the wash chamber. In front loading washing machines, the door is mounted to the cabinet with a hinge. The hinge permits the door to rotate open and closed.
During assembly of front loading washing machine appliances, workers can mount a door to the appliance's cabinet with a hinge. To mount the door to the cabinet, a mounting fixture (e.g., a bracket) can hold the door in place while a worker secures the door to the cabinet. However, this method can increase the overall cost of producing washing machine appliances, e.g., by requiring production and/or purchase of the bracket to mount the door to the cabinet. Also, securing the door in the bracket can consume time.
In addition, a hinge can be secured to a washing machine appliance using a fastener that extends through the hinge and a door of the appliance. However, the fastener can be required to bear significant stresses during use of the door. Because the fastener alone secures the hinge to the appliance, the door may problematically separate from the appliance if the fastener fails.
Also, a washing machine appliance's door can include components constructed of plastic. During use of such doors, large stresses may arise within the door. For example, at the point where the door attaches to a hinge. Large stresses can deform the door's plastic components. Deformation of such components is generally undesirable.
Accordingly, a hinge that allows a worker to install an appliance's door to an appliance's cabinet without a mounting fixture would be useful. A hinge with features for assisting a fastener in securing the door to the hinge would also be useful. A hinge with features for limiting deformation or reducing stress in the door would also be useful.